Internal-combustion engine



Q\ NR I \N l RN .Illllilll ||.|H H k WN NN MN Patented Jan. 29, 1924.

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PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. ZIEGLER, OF IIIINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed October -10, 1921. Serial No. 506,910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM A. ZIEGLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented'cer-j tain new' and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in. the art to which it appertains to make and use the 1 having an oil delivery tube or conduit ar ranged on a continuous slant for free gravity feed of the oil, the delivery end opening 7 1 into the crank case at a point which is at the desired oil level to be maintained in the crank case. With such an arrangement, when the oil in the crank case closes the lower end of the oil delivery conduit, it will stop the flow of oil from the auxiliary tank into the crank case, and when the oil level in the crank case lowers soas to allow air to enter the oil delivery conduit, oil will run from the auxiliary tank intothe crank case, providing the engine is in action and subject to the vibrations and breathing action. I

In practice, I have found it to be an easy matter to operatively apply the scheme just above outlined, to stationary. engines, but

that to provide a satisfactorily operative auxiliary oil supply device of the above character to the engines of moving vehicles, such as automobiles, requires certain other novel features. Especially it is j required that the main body of the oil delivery pipe or tubebetween the auxiliary tank and the crank case be relatively large and that the delivery end thereof, where it 0 ens into the crankcase, be relatively smal and extended for a short distance approximately horizontally.

As an additional feature of novelty, the above noted delivery conduit is provided with a valve under yielding strain to close, and this valve'is provided with a connection whereby it will be held open when and only when the filler cap of the auxiliary'tank is applied. To accomplish the purposes of this invention, the auxiliary tank must be air-tight, so that the only air admitted thereto, when the system is in operation, will be through the above described delivery conduit; and the purpose of the valve just noted' is to prevent oil fromrunning from the auxiliary tank into the crank casing when the filler cap is removed for the purpose of refilling said auxiliary tank, and at which time, of course, atmospheric pressure.

is active in said auxiliary tank.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

' Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly'in full lines and partly in diagram and with some parts sectioned, illustrating the auxiliary oil-supplying device as preferably applied to the engine of an automobile; Fig. 2'is a fragmentary section on the same line as Fig. 1, but showing on a larger scale the front end of the auxiliary tank and the receiving end ofthe feed tube that leads therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a detail on,the line 33 of Fig. 1 and looking at the front end of the auxiliary oil tank;

Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective showing a saddle bracket preferably used as arest for the auxiliary tank; 7

Fig. 5 is a'fragmentary perspective illustrating the manner in which the spring for holding the auxiliary tank on its saddle bracketis anchored to the steering post casing; and. i

1 Fig. 6 is, a perspective showing in detail the delivery end of the oil supply tube that connects the auxiliary tank to the crank case of thele'ngine; I 7

Of the parts of the engine,'it is only desirable to particularly note the cylinder casting 7, engine base 8 and oil-containing crankcasing 9.,[which parts are or may be in section approximately 1 critable construction but, as illusthose of the well known Ford The nun'ieral indicates one a. frame and to which en- .horcd in the usual or any .nk 11 is seposi n above th and is preferably thus us including the so- 12 made from a steel ed approximately sions 12 and 7 I 4 casing .4

'' novel bracket :2 U-slr L The horizontal cylindrical tank that will fit in 1 1 auxiliary tank 11 is preferably a the depressions or stats 12 or the saddle bracket 12; and to securely but detachably anchor this tank to said bracket, a coiled tension spring 13 is attached to the bottom or"- said tank and its lower end is anchored to the lower portion of the steering. postcasing 14 by a bent wire anchor 15 applied around said casing 1e, as best shown in ig. 5 but see also Figs. 1 and 8.

The oil delivery pipe or tube for connecting the auxiliary tank 11 to the crank casinn 9 may take dill'eren forms. In practice, l. have preferably used a quite large heavy rubber hose 16, having approximately three-fourths of an inch internal diameter, as the main body of said tube. The upper end 03": this hose 1:6 is shown as connected to a metallic tube 1. anchored to and extended thr .ugh the front end of the tank 11 near the bottom of the tank. This tube 17 has the same diameter the hose 16. The lower end of the hose 16 is shown as connected to one branch of a tubular T-coupling 'lihe tubular head of this coupling 18, at one end, is shown as provided with a normally closed drain cock 19 and connected its other end to a relatively small metal regulator tube 20. The tube 20 preferably has an internal diameter of only about one-eighth of an inch and it is approximately horizontally extended and its threaded end is tapped through the crank casing 9 at approximately the desired oil level to be maintained within the casing. In. the Fordengines, the crank casing is customarily provided with drain cock at the desired oil level and which, when removed. aiiords a tapped hole into which the tube 20 may be screwed.

To indicate the amount of oil in the auxiliary tank 11, said tank at one end is shown as provided with a sight tube 21 connected at the upper end of the lower portion thereof by the customary tubular elbows 22. In its top, said tank has a suitable filler neck normally closed by an airtight removable cap 23.

The valve for closing the inner end of the oil discharge tube 1'? is preferably a valve 24 or the flapper type, provided in its lower end with an offset hinge lug 25 pivoted in a rot 26. suitably supported from the tube 17. A light coiled spring 2? is attached to the valve 2% and, as shown, is extended through the tube 17 and anchored to the outer end thereof. This spring tends to hold the valve 24 in a closed position against the inner end 01' the tube 17. The numeral 28 indicates a light push rod, the lower end of which is loosely jointed to the upper end of the valve 2 1 and the upper end of which vorks through the filler neck and is normally downwardly pressed by the filler cap 23. Here, it will be noted that the pivot rod 26 is offset from the push rod 28, so that when the cap 28 is applied and said rod pushed downward, it will force the valve 24 into an open position, against the tension of the spring 27. Hence, the valve 2 1 will be held in an open position as long as the cap 23 is applied, but when said cap is removed for the purpose of refilling the auxiliary tank, the spring 2? will automatically close the valve 2e and prevent oil from flowing from the auxiliary tank into the crank casing while said tank is being refilled.

O partition.

With the above described arrangement, a constant-or approximately constant level of oil will be maintained in the crank casing and there will always be available a large additional or reserved supply of lubricat ing oil. This supply of lubricating oil will be held back from the crank casing so that the engine parts will always run only to the desired depth in the lubricating oil and lu brication will be constant, that is. there will never be an over supply nor an under supply of oil when the engine is in action. Moreover, the supply of oil from the auxiliary tank to the crank casing may be taken care of automatically without the use of valves, floats or any other mechanism of a moving character. The valve 24; has nothing' to do with this automatic oil-supplying action, but is provided simply for the purpose ot holding back the discharge of oil from the auxiliary tank, while the latter is being filled.

Of course, delivery of oil from the auxiliary tank to the crank casing is caused pri marily and chiefly by gravity acting against atmospheric pressure. That is, oil will not be fed from the auxiliary tank to the easing as long as the lower end of the tube 20 KLI is closed by the oil in the crank casing, but when the oil level lowers so that air is permitted to enter the tube 20, bubbles of air will flow upward through the tube or hose 16 into the auxiliary tank and the corresponding amount of oil will be permitted to flow downward into the crank casing- In practice, I have found that if the oil conduit or tube be made of approximately constant size and of small diametenthere is liable to be no oil-feeding action at all and, on the other hand, if said feed tube be made of approximately a constant diameter and of large size or feeding capacity, the oilfeeding action will be entirely too fast.

I have made many experiments, and I have found that the proper way to meet the above several conditions is to use a quite large oil delivery tube and to provide the same, at or near its point of connection with the crank casing, with a relatively small approximately horizontal discharge portion. In commercial practice, I am now using, as the main body of said tube, a rubber hose having an internal diameter of threefourths of an inch and a horizontal regulator discharge tube or section having an internal diameter of approximately oneeighth of an inch. This latter regulator tube is also made short, being only about three inches in length. With this arrangement, I have found that there will be practically no feeding of oil from the auxiliary tank into the casing while the engine is at rest and the automobile is standing still, even if all of the oil is drained from the crank casing, but that when the engine is in action, there will be a feeding of oil from the auxiliary tank into the crank case. The above noted and preferred arrangement, wherein the rubber hose has aninternal diameter of three-fourths of an inch and the short horizontal regulator discharge tube has an internal diameter of one-eighth of an inch, the conducting capacity of said hose in respect to said tube is approximately thirty to one. The portions may be varied somewhat for different conditions, but elaborate experiments that. I have made have determined that good results cannot be obtained unless the conducting capacity of the hose or main tube is as much as twenty times that of the short horizontal regulator tube and that, if these proportions are reduced to anything less than ten to one, there will be a total failure in the desired operation.

The above action in the application of the regulator above described is materially modified by the following conditions: The movement of an automobile over roads will cause the oil in the tank 11 to be dashed about more or less, forcing the gravity atmospheric pressure combination to act; the suction caused by the splashing or sweeping regulator, caused by engine heat, will vary the feeding action.

'VVith theabovedescribed arrangement, it seems that when the'engine is inaction and the inner end of thetube 20 uncwered by the oil, air bubbles .will get into said tube 20 and work their way into the lower end. of thehose 16, and having done this, the air bubbles will, of course, pass upward into the auxiliary tank and produce the required feed of. oil. The fact that the air bubbles must pass for a short distance through a small approximately horizontal tube seems to be highly important and, in practice,

.has been found to give the desired results.

The device described is not only efficient for Y the purposes had in view, but is of simple construction and may be quickly and cheaply other engines, for that matter.

By the statement herein made that the oil delivery conduit is unobstructed and free from air traps or dead air chambers is meant that said conduit is free from intermediate cavities in which air and oil may accumulate and produce an intermediate feed by the openingand closing of the air conduit by the water accumulated in such chamber or trap. By elimination of these dead air chambers or traps the feed of the oil is discharged entirely at the end of the small approximately horizontal tube or portion of the conduit.

By the statement that oil will not be fed through the relatively small and short approximately horizontal oil regulator under or only under the normalaction of gravity is meant, for example, that when the engine and the automobile are at rest and, hence, free from vibration, the oil will not flow from the auxiliary reservoir into the crank case even if the crank case be drained of oil. This action is attained by making the horizontal regulator of very small conducting capacity as compared with the body of the oil delivery conduit so friction and the viscosity of the oil will resist gravity acting alone on the oil in the auxiliary tank. When however, a vibratory action is added to that of gravity, there will be a flow of oil through the horizontal regulator tube, This is just what is desired, because it gives the supply of oil when the engine is in action and will not give an over supply of oil when the engine is at rest or at any other time.

. What I claim is:

' 1. The combination with the crank case of an engine, of an elevated auxiliary oil supply tank having an oil delivery conduit arranged for gravity feed of oil thereapplied to the engines of automobiles or through into said crank case and at the place of delivery into said case having a relatively small and short approximately horizontal regulator tube, the conducting capacity of which is so small as compared With that of the body of said oil delivery conduit that it will resist the normal gravity feed of oil therethrough and into the crank case when the engine is free from vibration but will permit the oil to flow therethrough under the combined action of gravity and vibration.

2. The combination with the crank case of an engine, of an elevated auxiliary oil supply tank having an oil delivery conduit arranged for gravity feed of oil therethrough into said crank case, and at the place of delivery into said case having a small short approximately horizontal regulator tube, the conducting capacity of which is not more than one-fifteenth that of the body of said oil delivery conduit, Whereby therewvill be no feed of oil through the conduit when the engine is idle but oil will flow through said conduit when said engine is in action and the lower end of said conduit is then covered.

a In testimony whereof I a'fiix my signature.

WILLIAM A. ZIE GLER. 

